I'm trying to find a fanfiction I read a while ago. It was TOS verse, rather than 2009, but set quite late on. Kirk was an Admiral and as such doesn't get to go on ship much anymore. He gets invited, along with a load of other dignitaries etc., to come for a trip on one of the ships (may have been a maiden voyage). Spock has a bad feeling about the trip (maybe even a vision of the ship blowing up?) and tries to persuade him not to go. Kirk does go but changes his mind at the last minute. The ship does indeed blow up.

I remember it as quite a short fic, possibly a one-shot. Most of it is Kirk, Spock and Bones meeting up a day or two before Kirk's supposed to go on the trip. They havent seen each other in a while, so have a few drinks and talk, get a bit existential about growing old, that kind of thing.

Denobula, the only planet in an entire star system, is a M-Class planet with a population of around twelve billion. The planet has one single continent where everyone lives. The cities are crowded, but the Denobulans like it that way. The Phlox Family Estate is located in the Capital, Kaynib. Now when most people think of an estate, they think of a large sprawling area with gardens and a main house, a Denobulan estate does take up a good amount of area, but it's mostly vertical. The Phlox family have been very influential in the Federation long before it's founding. Doctor Phlox was the medical officer on the first Earth starship, Enterprise, serving under, then Captain, Jonathan Archer. Since then the family has been well renowned in the federation. Doctor Forlisa Phlox currently serves as ship's counselor on the USS Rhodes. She has invited her newest husband and wife to the family estate.

Or, you have been invited, for anyone else to join in.

The door to the estate opened up and a rather tall pale man stood behind it. Forlisa came up to you, wearing her usual long flowing sundress, and barefoot. Her hair is down and glistens in the morning sun that shines in through the large windows in the front hall.

After the discovery of the first Dyson Sphere by the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, a group was formed in Starfleet to search space for others. They assumed that since DS01 had been abandoned that the species who made it had to have built more. A small fleet of ships were sent out to investigate possibilities. A few were duds. However, two Starfleet ships, the Rhodes and the Midnight were heading outside Federation space to a likely spot. They were about a couple of weeks away...

During Surak's reforms on the planet Vulcan, a group of uneasy Vulcans left their home system and founded the Romulan Empire far away from their original homeworld. The empire grew strong.

Before that, however, an ancient offshoot of the Romulans settled on the planet known to the Federation as Barradas III. By 2370 the planet was abandoned. However, due to the increasing number of Romulan's who were tired of the Romulan Empire's policies, the few who had fled asked the United Federation of Planets for the rights to settle on the ancient Debrune outpost world. in 2375 the rebel Romulans settled their new home and became members of the United Federation of Planets.

As more Romulans fled the Empire over the next ten years the planet's population grew. Some had brought native Romulan plants. After Shinzon's coup, even some Remans came and settled on the rapidly greening planet.

The year is now 2387, days after the Hobus Supernova which wiped Romulus and Remus out. Orbiting the planet is the U.S.S. Midnight, Starfleet's newest Sovereign-Class vessel under the command of Captain Jonathan Cancian. He is preparing to help some evacuees who wish to leave the Empire and become members of the Federation.

You can be either A. A Romulan refugee, B. A Debrune Romulan or C. A member of the Midnight's crew.

The U.S.S. Rhodes is the last of the Galaxy Class ships. It's about to set out on an exploring mission towards the center of the galaxy. You're on Deep Space Nine, about to head off onto your mission. You've stopped by Quarks for a little rest before boarding when an officer sat down next to you. He's a rather tall man, but he's also kind of skinny. His brown hair is rather shaggy, which is odd for Star Fleet. He looked at you and smiled. He extended his hand.

Captain James T. Kirk looked out onto San Francisco bay from his apartment on Earth. The sky was clear and bright as the weather was always on this perfect Earth. However, his mind was fr from the pristine waters of the bay. They were on his ship, the ship that had been decommissioned not too long ago. She was sitting in mothballs up in that spacedock while the new Enterprise, the NCC 1701-B was being finished at this very moment.

“Jim?”

Kirk turned at that voice and smiled. Behind him Carol Marcus held up two glasses of Saurian Brandy. He took one and gave it an experimental sip. He let the liquid slosh around in his head before swallowing the beverage.

“Jim, you look distracted,” Carol said soothingly, wrapping her arms around his midsection. Kirk sighed.

“I’m just…remembering the old days Carol,” he said finally as he stared out at the city. Some shuttles were leaving from the grounds of Starfleet Academy and were heading up to Starbase One. Another batch of fresh recruits. More than anything Kirk wanted to be on that shuttle, aching for one more adventure. Had he gone, however, the aches of his heart would be easily surpassed by the aches of his body. He was getting older. Of course, his friends from the Enterprise and Enterprise-A were getting older too. Bones was beginning to look like a walking mummy much to his chagrin.

“Come back to the fire Jim,” Carol said soothingly in his ear. Kirk complied and sat down in one of the reclining chairs near the fire. Above the fire were his collectibles, some ancient Earth pistols and even more ancient helmets from Earth’s middle ages. He looked them over, signs of age, signs that reminded Kirk of himself even more. Carol snuggled up to him and Kirk absently caressed her silvery golden hair.

“When will you be going up?” she finally asked him.

“In a few weeks,” he said softly as he took another sip of his brandy.

“Does it bother you that much Jim?” she asked again. He sighed.

“Carol, I miss having an adventure in space.”

She sighed and took a sip of her own Saurian Brandy.

“We all have our jobs Jim. Yours is over. I know it’s hard to accept but-”

“It’s not just hard Carol. It’s damn near impossible.”

“Jim, everyone else is moving on. Your friend Spock is working to become an ambassador at the Vulcan Science Academy, Doctor McCoy is working in Starfleet Medical, Captain Scott is picking apart that Klingon cloaking device you brought with you during that Whale Probe incident, Commander. Uhura is serving as first officer of the U.S.S. Saratoga under Captain Alexander, Commander Chekov is about to begin serving as the first officer of the U.S.S. Reliant-A, And Sulu, well, he has the Excelsior.”

Kirk sighed. He knew all this but it hurt more when he was reminded of it. He was a semi-retired Captain with no ship to command, no adventure left.

“Jim, I sincerely hope that when you, Captain Scott and Commander Chekov visit the Enterprise-B in a week that it will be enough. I don’t want to lose you to the stars again.”

Jim smiled, this time it was a genuine smile. Despite his longing for the stars, he had finally found a reason to stay rooted to the ground and she was sitting right next to him. Sure he might feel pain and loss at retirement, but the adventure was just beginning. And who knows? As Spock was so fond of saying, there are always possibilities.